


It's About Silver Linings

by StoryofTheC



Category: Naruto
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-18
Updated: 2020-05-18
Packaged: 2021-03-02 22:34:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,518
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24244336
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StoryofTheC/pseuds/StoryofTheC
Summary: My first SakuraXShikamaru pairing. I had to write it!
Relationships: Haruno Sakura/Nara Shikamaru
Comments: 8
Kudos: 73





	It's About Silver Linings

**Author's Note:**

> Note: I wrote this listening to Silver Linings - Lee DeWyze. My first Shika-Saku pairing! The idea came to me while I was writing one of my final paper for school haha. It's a bit rough around the edges, (I will probably write it better when I'll have more time) but otherwise, here it is! Hope you enjoy:)
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

Green eyes looked up from the pile of papers on her desk and seeing the time on the clock, they widened slightly. Sakura slumped back in her chair, exhaling loudly. After pulling another sixteen hours shift at the hospital, she was eager to go home.

Her stomach rumbled, reminding her the last time she ate something was right before work the night prior. Putting her signature on the last document, she sighed and got on her feet, stretching her back, arms above her head. She shrugged off her white coat and placed it on the back of her chair before leaving her office. Since it was almost noon, she would probably end up grabbing take out and make her way home to her bed. A shiver of pleasure ran down her spine at the thought of her soft bed waiting for her.

Out of the hospital, she had to shield her eyes from the bright afternoon light. Breathing in deeply she smiled. The weather was so nice out that she decided to take a detour and walk through the park. At this time of the year, multiple flowers were blooming and the smell was amazing. She closed her eyes and happily walked with her head tilted back to enjoy the feel of the sun on her skin. Enjoying the fact that she was alive. Being in the hospital so long left her with little time to appreciate small things like this.

After a few seconds, she opened her eyes and was surprised to see the lazy Nara genius sprawled on the park bench. He was there, head back and eyes closed probably asleep. Looking at him more, she had a weird feeling in her stomach. He looked so tired. His skin was pale and he had dark circles around his eyes. Was he sleeping properly? He looked like he was carrying the weight of the world on his shoulder. Sakura knew that he had lost his father during the war and also knew that he had to take as the head of the Nara clan once everything was over plus his advisor work with the Hokage...

Shikamaru and her did not really have any kind of relationship. The only time they had been seen together was when she was hanging out with Ino. Sakura barely knew anything about him other than the fact that he liked to play shogi, had spiky hair, was lazy and enjoyed cloud gazing. Exhaustion washed over her and she was about to continue her way to her amazing bed when she saw the pained frown on his face. Medical instinct made her turn around. Gently, not to startle the man, she sat next to him on the bench and placed her hand on his delicately and squeezed to get his attention. He opened tired brown eyes and stared at her hand. He looked like an empty shell.

"Are you ok?" She tilted her head, curious.

* * *

Shikamaru woke up that morning after a night plagued with nightmares. The same ones of his near death and the moment where his dad died... War tends to do that to people. He made his way to the park early thinking that watching the clouds would make him feel better about life, somehow. Sitting down, he leaned back and closed his eyes. Since the war, his life had been hard. Lots of responsibilities, Temari who dumped his ass not too long after their victory, his mom having a lot of expectations, work and all... It started to be a lot for one man to handle. Shikamaru probably fell asleep at some point since he was surprised when someone touched his hand.

Opening his eyes, he had to blink a few times to see who was bothering him. He was surprised when bright green orbs were staring at him, concerned. Sakura Haruno. Probably the last person he expected to see. He never really talked to the girl since everyone knew that she was a love struck Sasuke fangirl. But he had to admit, it had been a while since someone had asked him if he was fine. Because the truth was, he was far from being ok. Somehow, in this moment, she looked like a beacon of light. Like a rope that had been thrown at him so he could get his head above the water. Not wanting to answer her question, he nodded his head. He did not have to tell her a thing if he did not want to. She frowned and then grabbed his hand tighter pulling him on his feet.

"Come on, I need to eat something and you look like you could use some company." Her smile was so bright. Something in him stirred. Normally, he would have refused, but he could not. Why would she invite him? Sasuke was back, why wasn't she with him? Letting his hand go, she started walking towards the marketplace. After a few steps, she stopped and turned around looking for him. Realizing her was not following her, she put a hand on her hip and tilted her head to the side.

"Are you coming?" He looked at her and putting his hands in his pockets, followed her with a lazy pace muttering something like "Troublesome" that made her smile some more.

They got to this small restaurant serving the best tempura. He was surprised when she ordered a variety of food. When everything was served in front of them, she motioned him to eat something which he did. Seeing her scarf down a plate in a record time he huffed. She was probably done with her hospital shift if she was that hungry or she did not eat for days, one of the two. Or both. He knew of her workaholic reputation after all. Once she ate enough, she started talking about her day at the hospital and about everything and nothing, really. Shikamaru could not help but stare at her. She was not the young women that he knew before the war.

In her eyes, there was a determination, a confidence that wasn't there before. Like she knew her worth. Analyzing her made him forget his pain for a moment.

Earlier when he woke up, he would not have expected to be there with her out of everyone he knew. Not going to lie, for a few weeks he had a desire to die. It was so intense that it was overwhelming. Shikamaru was at the end of his roll. He felt like he was drowning and he did not even want to fight... until bright green pulled him out of the water only a few minutes ago. He would not let her know that, but she probably saved his life. Seeing her smile and her eyes shining so bright just made things lighter. A warmth spread in his chest and he was surprised when he felt the ghost of a smile on his lips. When was the last time he smiled?

After an hour, she muffled a yawn behind her hand and smiled apologetically, saying she should go home and get some sleep. He nodded his head and walked her home. When she reached her door, she turned around and gave him a soft smile before closing the door behind her. He stood there a few minutes, surprised. In only a few hours, she had been able to take him out of this dark place he had been in for so long... Making his way to the Nara house, Shikamary grabbed his chest. He was feeling again.

* * *

When they were at the restaurant, Sakura had tried to talk with him to no avail. She knew that Shikamaru was a man of few words, but this behavior was totally unlike him. Yes he was often analyzing the situation but always had some input or comments about situations. She then decided to do small talk about every topics she could think of hoping that he would talk at some point. He did not, but with the way he was looking at her, she knew he just needed some company which she gave him happily. When he walked her home, she noticed that the dark cloud above his head seemed lighter. And it made her happy.

* * *

After a few days waking up in a better mood, Shikamaru made his way to the flower shop to meet his oldest friend. Once he entered, the bell tinkled and the blond appeared from behind a large flower arrangement.

"Hey Shika!" Her smile was tired and he knew too well that she had been overworking herself since the death of her father, but she was in a good place mentally. She was serene and that was all that mattered to him. "Haven't seen you around lately, are you alright?"

The Nara genius nodded and she gave him a skeptical look. Looking at him from head to toes, she had to admit that he looked better than he did when she saw him at the market a few days ago. He had lost the frown between his eyebrows and looked like he slept better if the dark circles under his eyes were something to refer to. She looked at him a while longer before to hand him some tools so he could help her to cut some flowers. Taking them, he started to help her and they stayed silent for a while. About to open her mouth to ask him a question, she had to stop when he talked first.

"I've seen Sakura Wednesday..." At the mention of her best friend, Ino's attention was focused on him. She waited for him to continue, which he did after a pause. "She looked happy. Like the war did not affect her at all... I guess some lost more than others in all of this." The last sentence was referring to himself and Ino.

Understanding the underlying question and seeing that he thought that her friend hadn't lost anything, Ino stopped her work and took off her gloves. Eyeing him seriously, she stopped him when he tried to continue his work.

"You're right, Shikamaru." At that, he tilted his head. "She definitely did."

About to argue with Ino, he opened his mouth but with a motion of her hand she stopped him. Her brow furrowed and he understood that he said something wrong.

"Sakura lost both of her parents. She came back from the war only to realize that her house had been destroyed during the attack and on top of that, Sasuke left without her, basically telling her off. She took his rejection quite well at least, after everything he did, I can't blame her..." Making eye contact with him, Ino continued. "Yes, Shika, some lost more than others. She did. But she found her purpose and is working towards a brighter future."

Shikamaru frowned. How could she be so happy then? If she lost this much, how could she look so at peace? She too was probably hurting, but she took the time to make sure he was alright... Seeing him deep in his thoughts, Ino smiled softly and continued working. He helped her a few more hours and stayed silent the whole time. Getting back home that night, he decided that he too could find his purpose and be happy.

* * *

She woke up that morning with a headache. She had been overworking herself again and collapsed with chakra exhaustion the night prior. Getting out of bed slowly, she thought about going back to sleep but then thought about the stack of paperwork on her desk and decided to get dressed. Pouring her coffee in her cup, she was out the door in a matter of minutes.

Life had been hectic the past week. After her lunch with Shikamaru, it looked like all the problems in Konoha had fell on her. Tsunade left the village which meant that she, Sakura Haruno, was now the head of the hospital. And it was so much work. Putting another file on the "done" pile, she groaned and held her head between her hands. She was so done with this.

A knock on her door startled her, but regaining her composure, she took another file and opened it in front of her mumbling something like "Enter". Her eyes widened when she saw Shikamaru leaning on the door frame. Closing the file, she eyes him warily. He looked better than he did last week, which was good, but it still did not explain why he was in her office.

"Hey, what can I do for you?"

"I was going to get lunch and thought you might want a break." Looking at the paperwork on her desk, he focused his attention back to her.

Was he just there to take her out and thank her for the last time? Either way, she needed to get out of her office so she took off her white coat and saw the smirk on his face when she rushed out of her office.

This time, they went to a BBQ place and went the same way, her talking, him observing. It was nice, his silence was not awkward. At some point she looked up to him and observed him. His dark eyes were holding a warmth that she hadn't seen in a while, his hair looked soft and silky and his jawline was more of an adult than she remembered. Sakura was then struck by a thought. He was handsome. And her heart fluttered for the first time in a while.

* * *

Shikamaru was not a man who liked company that much, but hers was different. She could make any subject interesting. She also grew into a really smart woman and he was always interested in everything she could talk about. It being her work with the children aftr the war, her new medical discoveries, everything. He like how he felt when she was around so he decided to take the habit to take her out to lunch a few times a week from now on. In the back of his mind, he could not help but hope that these lunch were making her feel better too. Once the lunch was over, he escorted her back to the hospital. Before leaving her office, he gave her a small smile.

"Thank you for coming." She smiled at him and for some reason, his heart skipped a beat. "Troublesome..."

When she heard his signature word, Sakura laughed and he left her office, slight blush on his cheeks, happy glint in his dark eyes.

* * *

These lunches became their routine at least three times a week for almost a whole year. The first few months, she was making the conversation and he would just listen to her. After a while, he started to add to what she was saying which she appreciated. Towards the end of that year, they had real conversations and would even laugh together... well, she would laugh and he would give her a small chuckle, but that was enough.

Every time she was laughing, she could see an emotion in his eyes that she could not quite grasp. But little did she know, she was looking at him the same way when he was chuckling.

* * *

Sakura really enjoyed the time she spent with the man. Especially, when one day, he opened up about his struggle after the war and she shared some of her hard moments too. Somehow, they found strength in each other and grew even closer. Once, he showed up to her apartment with a few flowers and asked if she wanted to go out for dinner, which she agreed.

That night, they went to a hill not to far from the training grounds and brought food for a picnic, nothing too fancy. They ended up watching the sunset and talked for hours before the cold air of the night forced them to leave. Like all the time they ate together, he walked her back home. At her door, she turned to tell him good night and she knew she was lost when he gave her one of the first smile he had since the war.

* * *

They kept the lunch routine going, but now, he could feel that something had shifted in their relationship. That night, he walked to her apartment to ask her out, but had no chance. She was not home. Having a pretty good idea of where she was, he started to walk to the outskirts of the village. That's where he found her, out of the training grounds where they shared a picnic the other day. For a few second, he was mesmerized by the view.

She was laying down in the grass, looking up at the stars above. The moon was casting a soft light on her skin, making it look like porcelain. Her eyes were bright and so green that it reminded him of the day she saved him a little over a year ago. She looked so pretty that he was sure the stars were looking at her too... Who wouldn't?

Silently, he approached her and laid beside her. They stayed silent for a few minutes before she started talking. When she did, it was with a small voice.

"I can't help but being jealous of the brightness of the stars tonight."

For a year, she had been his light. The brightest one. The one who illuminated his path, that brought him back to life... And after a year, he was done waiting to tell her. Reaching towards her, he grabbed her hand. Trying to get her attention, he slowly rubbed circle on the back of it with his thumb. Her green eyes locked with his dark one.

"You might not be a star, but you have been my light through my darkest moments. You still are. Brighter than all of them."

Sakura's mouth opened in surprise and not giving her time to overthink this, Shikamaru leaned forward and brushed his lips on hers slowly. He was about to break the kiss when Sakura grabbed his collar and pulled him closer to her. What was supposed to be a soft kiss turned into a storm of passion. Breaking apart to get air, the looked at each other, red cheeks and wide smiles.

"Troublesome…" Pulling her closer to him, he installed her between his leg so her back could rest on his chest. Looking back at him she smirked.

"Shut up."

Grabbing the back of his head, she brought his face closer and kissed him again. They were right where they belonged.

* * *

Six years later

Everything was quiet at the Nara house. Sakura who came back from work an hour prior was standing in the kitchen, preparing dinner. Stirring the vegetables in the pot she smiled. Life had been surprising to say the least. From the moment she helped Shikamaru, to their first kiss, their wedding... But she would not change a thing.

She snapped out of her thoughts when she heard the front door close. Soon enough, her husband entered the kitchen, dropping his bag on the floor. Coming from behind her, he snaked his arm around her waist and pulled her close. Smiling she looked up and met his playful smirk and the glint in his eyes. Raising an eyebrow, she faced him and put her arms around his neck. Raising on her tip toes, she kissed him and he let his hand wander to her lower back, under her shirt... and was interrupted when a small boy tackled him. Releasing his wife with an apologetic smile, Shikamaru bent over and picked up the boy in his arms. Sakura leaned on the counter, crossing her arms and laughed, eyes bright.

"Let your dad get settle Shikaku!"

The boy looked up at her with amazing green eyes and pineapple hair, shaking his head and laughing. Shikamaru smiled and looked at her shaking his head, his way of letting her know that it was fine. Looking at the father and son, she continued to prepare dinner, heart full of love. Shikaku was so excited to see his dad. He was talking about everything, which made her think about their first lunch together. The same thought probably crossed Shikamaru's mind, bacause he sent a soft look her way. Not missing this silent exchange, Shikaku looked up to his dad, curious.

"Dad, how did you and mom meet?"

"You know son, your mom and I knew each other for years… Since the Academy." The small boy tilted his head.

"But dad, how did you know she was the one that you loved?"

Pausing for a second, Shikamaru looked at Sakura lovingly. Without breaking the eye contact with her, he smiled brightly.

"Sometimes Shikaku, it's about finding the silver lining."

"A silver what?" Shikaku looked back and forth to his parents, but none of them answered.

A smiled spread on Sakura's face and the love radiating from her almost made his heart burst. Thinking about it, he could never have guessed that his life would have been like this that day when she found him on that park bench.


End file.
